Guitars & Basses
– since 1887 –
Karl Höfner GmbH & Co. KG
Egerlandstr. 38
91083 Baiersdorf-Hagenau
Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 9133-7758-0
Fax +49 (0) 9133-7758-58
hofner@hofner.com
www.hofner.com
Guitars & Basses
– since 1887 –
Höfner
Classical
Guitars
HS
HF
HZ
HGL
HM
Höfner specialist dealer:
Master violin maker Karl Höfner founded his own stringed and fretted instrument
company in Schönbach, Germany in 1887. With a reputation for quality,
craftsman-ship and innovation, Höfner soon became the largest manufacturer
of stringed and fretted instruments in Germany. Thus, in 1907 Karl Höfner was
entrusted with the repair of the King of Saxony’s violin, and the master performed
his job to the full satisfaction of his client.
When his two sons, Josef and Walter, joined their father’s company in 1919
and 1921 respectively, acoustic guitars already represented a significant part
of Höfner’s instrument production. In a market dominated by inexpensive
student guitars during the 1920s and 1930s, Höfner classical guitars were
already establishing new standards and the company capitalized on that
leadership during the decades that followed.
Josef and Walter expanded Höfner’s worldwide exports, especially to North
America and the Far East. To date more than two million stringed and fretted
instruments - from student to master models - have been produced, 75% of
which have been exported worldwide, emphasizing the outstanding position
enjoyed by Karl Höfner GmbH & Co. KG in the world market.
The product range of Höfner is extensive and not only limited to string instruments
and acoustic guitars. In 1955 Walter Höfner, a creative businessman as well
as a violin and guitar maker, invented an electrically amplified semi-acoustic
bass. The distinctive 500/1 bass was launched at the 1956 Frankfurt Music
Fair and subsequently rose to fame under a different name. In 1961 Paul
McCartney bought his first Höfner bass in a music shop in Hamburg. Paul’s
‘Beatle Bass’ can be heard on many of the Beatles‘ most famous songs and
still accompanies him on stage and in the studio to this day.
A new chapter in Höfner history began in 1997 when the company moved to
a new production facility near the village of Hagenau. Millions of Euros have
since been invested in state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly production
technologies.
With innovation and product development, Höfner continues to set trends in
the world market, especially in the field of classical guitars. The ‘Green Line’
series uses only renewable European tone woods, varnished in an environmentally
neutral way. This results in a perfect synthesis between traditional guitar making
and respect for the limited resources of our environment.
Guitars & Basses
– since 1887 –
HGL 50 SE
Karl Höfner, founder
of the company
A major asset of Höfner is the large
selection of naturally air-dried and
seasoned tonewood.
Guitar production around 1965
500/1 (1956)
Golden Höfner (1960)
President (1956)
Karl Höfner – One Century of Guitar Making
HZ 26 with H 60/4
Deluxe bag
Classic Series
A prominent part of our instrument-making repertoire for more
than a century, Höfner classical guitars are found everywhere
from practice rooms to recital halls. Their outstanding value
in terms of cost, craftsmanship and quality of sound has
earned Höfner classical guitars a number of accolades including
the State of Germany’s prestigious ‘Deutschen Musikinstru-
mentenpreis’ as well as numerous recommendations from
the ‘European Guitar Teachers Association’ (EGTA).
As with violins and other stringed instruments, a guitar’s
wood is what gives wing to the soul of its sound.
Carefully selected for consistent grain and acoustic
potential, the woods used in Höfner classical guitars
are patiently air-dried in our own climate-controlled
facilities before going to the luthier’s workbench.
Guitars & Basses
– since 1887 –
5
HF 12 – HZ 23
HF 17
HS 518
Only the best hand-selected German
spruce is used by our guitar makers for
the top of an HS and HF classical guitar.
If the instrument is played regularly, the
sound of the solid spruce top will improve
over the years, much like the way a good
wine achieves its full maturity over time.
See page 10/11 for specifications.
HF 12 – HS 513
Scraping the
lining of the ribs
Green Line
Classical guitars in Höfner’s Green Line Series are crafted
exclusively from renewable European tone woods. Each model
matches a selected solid German spruce top with a maple or
walnut body, an alder neck and a walnut fingerboard. In addition,
instruments in the Green Line Series are varnished using an
environmentally neutral process. The HGL Series reflects
Höfner’s traditional art of guitar making and our respect for
the limited resources of our environment.
For the soundboard of model HGL
50
SE, Höfner
selected spruce trees from the ‘Forstamt Schluchsee’
region of the Black Forest in Germany. After the guitar
tops were professionally stored and naturally seasoned
for more than 6 years, they were acoustically analysed
and catalogued by the IFM (Institute for building musical
instruments in Zwota, Germany). Höfner master luthiers
picked only the choicest tops of this series for the limited
production model HGL
50
SE.
Guitars & Basses
– since 1887 –
Höfner CLASSIC STRINGS
bring out the best sound that
each classical guitar has to offer.
The special alloy which wraps
the bass strings helps prevent
premature corrosion.
Therefore, Höfner CLASSIC
STRINGS are more durable than
ordinary guitar strings and are
packed without plastic to be
easier on the environment.
Each set of strings contains
an additional D-string.
Also available:
Höfner SIENNA STRINGS and
Höfner PREMIUM STRINGS.
7
HGL 50 SE
A new environmentally neutral varnishing
process has been developed especially for
the Green Line series. Several very thin
layers of varnish are applied to the surface,
maintaining the natural and pleasing ”feel
of wood”. This is the optimum solution in
terms of sound as the body of the
instrument is allowed to resonate freely.
See page 11 for specifications.
HGL 5 – HGL 7
H
Ö
F
N
E
R
G
R
E
E
N
L
I
N
E
Rosewood buttons
Master Guitars
An independent acoustic laboratory (IFM in Zwota, Germany) painstakingly
analyzes Master Series guitars to ensure the treble, midrange and
bass response of each instrument meets Hofner’s exacting
specifications. The results are proudly documented on a
certificate included with every HGL
50
SE, HM 85 and HM
88 master classical guitar.
Each Höfner’s master classical guitar is individually
constructed by one of Höfner’s most senior and experienced
luthiers. By combining only the choicest tone woods with
an extraordinary attention to detail, Höfner’s master
craftsmen create instruments capable of translating
every nuance of technique into clear, sweet sound.
The consistent grain of the spruce top and the all-
solid rosewood body give balance and projection
to the sound of the HM 88. Here, the master applies
his experience and well-honed skills as he selects and
matches the tonewoods himself.
Guitars & Basses
– since 1887 –
9
HM Certificate
HM 88
Aside from spruce, cedar is often used for
guitar tops. A high quality solid cedar top
(such as those featured on our HM-models)
has a fully-developed tone from the
beginning and, depending on the design of
the guitar, responds quickly and produces
impressive volume.
See page 11 for specifications.
HM 86 – HM 80
HM 83 – HM 85
11
HS-Series
Youth Guitars
HF-Series HZ-Series Green Line - Series Master Instruments
HS 513 HS 518 HF 12 HF 15 HF 17 HZ 23 HZ 25 HZ 26 HZ 27 HGL 5 HGL 7 HGL 50SE
‘Schwarzwald’
(‘Black Forest’)
Edition
HM 80 HM 83 HM 85 HM 86
Cutaway
HM 88
All specifications are subject to change without notice.
CLASSIC-Series HGL-Series HM-Series
Recommended Age
8 - 12
years
8 years
and older
Scale (cm)
Scale (inches)
62 cm
~ 24
1
/
2
"
65 cm
~ 25
1
/
2
"
65 cm
~ 25
1
/
2
"
65 cm
~ 25
1
/
2
"
65 cm
~ 25
1
/
2
"
Width of nut (mm)
Width of nut (inches)
45 mm
1.77
"
50 mm
1.97
"
50 mm
1.97
"
50 mm
1.97
"
50 mm
1.97
"
50 mm
1.97
"
52 mm
2.05
"
Top
solid
German
spruce
solid
cedar
selected solid German spruce selected solid cedar selected solid
German spruce
selected
solid
cedar
selected
solid
cedar
selected solid German
spruce
selected
solid
German
spruce
Back and Sides
mahogany mahogany
aningré rosewood
mahogany
rosewoodbubinga maplewalnut
all solid
walnut
rosewood
all solid
aningré
all solid
mahogany
rosewood
all solid
rosewood
Neck
mahogany mahogany mahogany
alder alder
mahogany
Fretboard
rosewood rosewood rosewood
walnut
rosewood
ebony
Finish of
Machine Heads
nickel
gold gold gold gold gold
Buttons of
Machine Heads
creme
pearloid
white
pearloid
white pearloid
rosewood white pearl
oid
rosewood white pearl
oid
walnut rosewood
Finish
natural
satin
antique
gold
high gloss
natural
satin
antique gold
high gloss
natural
satin
antique gold high gloss ‘
Green Line
’
natural satin
high gloss,
satin top
high gloss, satin top
high gloss
high gloss,
satin top
selected
solid
German
‘Schwarzwald’
spruce
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
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